Jim Commentucci / The Post-StandardArtist Mary Michael Shelley of Ithaca carves a piece of white pine for her painted woodcarvings business at the Plowshares crafts fair fundraiser for the Syracuse Peace Council Saturday at Nottingham High School in Syracuse.

By Liam Migdail-Smith
Contributing writer

After Tomoko Stultz, of Syracuse, moved to the United States from Japan, her family sent her a special kind of decorative paper, called washi, to make origami. While sitting in her kitchen one day, she had the idea of using the paper to cover glass Christmas tree orbs. She made a few of the decorative ornaments as holiday gifts and they were a hit.

"People's reactions were very positive," Stultz said.

So next holiday season she made more and started selling them at craft shows. That was 10 years ago. Now, Stultz makes a wide assortment of orbs and origami cranes -- a symbol of peace in Japan -- which she and her daughters sell at a couple crafts shows each year. She uses washi paper from Japan. The company she buys from only makes 40 sheets of each design, so each one is unique. She keeps it as a hobby, which she said, is good because if she made it her business, she probably wouldn't enjoy it anymore.

It's stories like this that bring craft vendors together at the Syracuse Peace Council's Plowshares Craftsfair and Winter Peace Festival.

The annual fundraiser -- now in its 39th year -- brought vendors, music, entertainment, food and activism to Nottingham High School Saturday. The event will continue today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For vendors like Stultz -- many of whom make their products in their homes and as a hobby -- the fair provides a place to talk to people and other crafters about their products.

Stultz said she loves to tell people how her products are made and talk about Japanese culture -- especially with people who have been to Japan.

"It's really a conversation piece," said Alexius Jones, of Oran, a vendor who makes glass decorations in her home.

Jones had a variety of cheese boards made from wine and liquor bottles for sale. They had labels from both popular and local wineries attached. Often, she said, people, especially those interested in engineering, will stop by her stand to ask how the bottles are made. She heats the bottles in her kiln and the air escapes, flattening the bottle into a glass board.

Jones has been selling her work at craft fairs for eight years, four at the annual Syracuse Peace Council fundraiser. It's one of her favorites, she said, because of the strong sense of community.

"Everyone is just so laid back," she said.

Peace Council organizer Andy Mager said bringing together crafters and shoppers as a community is an important part of the organization's political agenda.

"If we're gonna bring about peace, if we're going to bring about these changes that we seek, we need a lot of people to come together," he said.